First name Elder last name Tea

Although I’m in the final stretch as far as my northern contract goes, I’m just getting myself together to update the blog and due to data limitations/use of the network the photos will have to be posted when I’m further south. Have certainly filled my time here well, and as expected, the four weeks are flying by. With the awful weather in the Maritimes, I’ve been pleased to have avoided the heavy rainfall, black flies and ticks for a month. Hopefully the weather will have improved when I make it there next weekend. It’s been quite mild here and only snowed twice. I’ve graduated to my spring jacket, headband and gloves and really only need those for walking to and fro the health centre (which is about 10 minutes) vs being in and out of the vehicle.

Springtime in the north is a glorious season with the 24/7 hours of sunlight (takes some adjusting to return to sunsets and not having to wear sunglasses at any hour) tundra flowers and willow popping up and the majority of the community heading out to hunt. In the northern Baffin region this means “out on the ice” or “at the floe edge” as the various members of the food chain come together there. Lots of seals, narwhales, polar bears, various birds, and….tourists. Apparently a guided trip to the floe edge costs $8,000 + depending on the outfitter. We tagged along with a group of about 12 (who were heading out on the floe edge the following day) for an evening performance by the local Inuit theatre group and it was great! Began with O Canada in Inuktuit, authentic amautis (parkas), throat singing, drum dancing, Inuit game demo, history and culture. This is a performance put on for the cruise ship passengers in the summer, so they’re quite polished. We had a representative in from Quark Expeditions (one of the adventure cruise companies) who are interested in partnering with the elders and I was astounded to learn that last year there were 24 visits to Pond Inlet by cruise ships, usually it’s 17 - 20 but apparently they did a turnover of passengers here vs Resolute Bay due to ice conditions. Even with the smaller ships of 120 - 180 passengers (plus crew of 70 - 90) that is a LOT of people to put through a community pop. 1200. The smaller vessels are in the $14,000 per passenger for 14 day cruise price range. And that’s not factoring in the Crystal Serenity with the 1100 passengers which has done the NW Passage transit twice - $23,000 per passenger is a hefty fee. I’m glad to be on a working vacation here vs cruising.

 I’ve really enjoyed my contract as Supervisor of Homecare (pretty official sounding title) which means I make home visits with a homecare worker to interpret, help with the weekly Elder’s Tea (more on that shortly) and see homecare clients should they present at the health centre with non life threatening injuries. I have standing orders and consult with the NP or CHN if I require additional Rx for the caseload of 16. It’s not as frantic as Public Health and although the office is in the health centre, I’m out of it at least half the time. It’s the usual caseload of management of chronic conditions, footcare, palliative support, medication delivery, occasional blood draw, although there’s lots of bureaucracy to case manage, on the whole it’s a very enjoyable job. The elders are without fail, lovely, appreciative, independent people living in multigenerational households so we see lots of cute kiddos too. On Wednesdays we host an Elders Tea at the Visitors Centre. A recent decree from the manager in Pangnirtung for homecare client activity forms completion stated that the various clients must each have a separate form completed as it would no longer be acceptable to simply write for example, Elders Tea on the top. When Levina, my assistant said “what do you mean we can’t use this?” and showed me the form she’d filled in with First name Elder and Last name Tea…I was weak. The first week she kept a tally of attendees, this week she simply said “I’m just not doing it, no one ever looks at it anyway” which I’m sure is entirely correct. And how is anyone going to enforce that? Get on a plane and come make us? Hahaha go ahead. I start my day with the health centre morning report at 8:30 am, usually out by 9am and we sort out the bureaucracy, then can usually pull off a late morning visit somewhere. The problem being that with the 24 hrs of daylight some households are up all night and sleep all day - it’s like visiting in the middle of the night, sometimes a child on the couch, but no one gets up. There are struggles with finding a vehicle to use, although we are supposed to have one for homecare use. Home for lunch and back by 1pm to do a few visits and hopefully back in time to do some documenting. The dreaded Meditech has followed me here so we register the visit, write notes, order and search results on the electronic system. Of course there are still paper charts (both homecare and acute) as well as a CHMIS form (statistics) to complete, so lots of redundancy.

The Elders Tea routine - 10 am to the Hamlet office to pick up a purchase order for $375, then the COOP, which has just opened, for food and prizes for the games. At 1pm we head to the Visitors Centre and begin a full meal defined as a main course (such as roast, shepherds pie, ribs etc) salads, cheese, salami, veggies, fruit, yogurt, cookies, tea and coffee. By 2:30 pm one of the elders in the Catholic church says grace and we sing the Doxology in Inuktuit (well I hum….praise God from whom all blessings flow….) and enjoy the spread. Then following cleanup there is a dice game with prizes in the middle which sort of resembles Yankee swap and involves lots of running, squeals and aggressive grabbing of coveted items. I didn’t win the bannock this week, although I had my hands on it several times. Those elders in their late 80s are quick! By about 4pm they disperse and I can usually fit in at least one home visit before 5pm. For the most part, the work is Mon to Fri but an ill client can mean a callback.

My replacement is booked to arrive on Monday and I fly out Friday so that will be good for the switch - no handover notes to write, can introduce her to the clients etc. There is coverage booked for the summer, but it seems that agency nurses are the majority. The nurses here were surprised to find that I’m a government casual. The agency nurse I replaced wasn’t well received here and I’m not sure if she was new to homecare, new to the north, just not a good fit, but if the stories were true, she was in really over her head and mean to the elders..…there was some major trust rebuilding required when I began. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the clients and will miss them. A crochitchy old fellow who teases me every visit had bumped his elbow getting back into the house from the Dr clinic and when I asked to look at it told me (through the interpreter) that I was trying to flirt with him and in front of his wife. Going to miss this place and its people...only four more days to work.

Housing is an issue in this community as it’s dated (the group where I am was built in 1986) poorly maintained (original carpets) and not well cleaned when staff leave. I am far from a fastidious housekeeper but spent about four hours cleaning on my way in. Good thing as the psychiatry resident stayed with me the first week and arrived without warning that afternoon, it looks like your dirt when you’re there. The physician and resident stayed in the adjoining apartment last week and had to do laundry to make the bed, empty garbage, clean the kitchen etc. on arrival. Yuck. Clearly no one checks the apartments on exit here. I’ve eaten most of my food, was gifted more by those leaving and will pass on any remaining to Levina when I exit so that I can likely buckle the two duffles into one. I’ve used up the yarn I brought in making a shawl which I’m keeping for me, a scarf and dishcloths which I’ve gifted as well as two hats which I learned new stitches from. I’ve worked my way through various seasons on my recorded hard drive, finished my book to leave here, studied some Spanish and worked on my Mom journal, which after seven years is getting more complete. Always good to have solo time to work on those projects.  

On my homeward commute I’m flying down to Iqaluit and then through Kuujjuaq, Quebec, on to Montreal then Halifax. I’m disappointed to not connect through Ottawa for a family visit but when I left with the last minute ticket booking, there was no chance to argue as the duty travel office was closed by the time I got my flights for the next day and there is only the 24 hr. grace period. Sigh. It’ll be a long day and in late but I’ll be home.

And with my plan to enjoy (hopefully the weather cooperates) a Maritime summer for the next three months before leaving for six weeks in Europe, followed by a month in Cuba...that means there will only be a time for a very short contract in December...if at all. We'll see what the universe allows.